Meaning of the Bindi in Indian culture

For centuries, Hindu women have worn a red spot on their foreheads.
Until now we naively thought it had something to do with their religion.
The true story has just been revealed by the Indian embassy in Washington. When one of these women gets married, on her wedding night, her new husband scratches off the red spot to see if he has won a convenience store, a gas station, or a motel in Florida.

-----------------------------------------------------------------You know you are a desi when ........ You spew forth the virtues of India, but don't want to live there...............You've never had a tanning salon membership

The Bindi has lots of significance from India. Most of think it is only Hindus who wear it, I know plenty of muslims and Christians who wear it.

The type of bindi and the size of it signifys whether the lady is married or not. The mangalsutra and the rings on the second finger in the toes, also indicates whether the lady is married or not.

In west you can find out, whether a lady is married or not from the ring she wears in the finger, while in India you can classify and then give respect to the same by the bindi, mangalsutra and the ring worn in the toe. You do not even need to look at the face, just by looking at the feet you know whether she is married or not. This way you know who are like your sister, mother or who is the one who you can have a potential for romantic liasion leading to marriage.

In earlier days the bindis were made with lots of turmeric and natural dyes. Off late use of man made dyes has led to allergic reaction on the forehead which has led to use of sticker bindis.

There are other explanations given in the traditional hinduism on where the bindi has to be worn, why it is worn and also how does the male where his both in size and shape. I do not want to get it into as it is too complicated.

The concept of Bindi is to earn respect for the woman folks from India so that they do not get lewd glances from the society around.

-----------------------------------------------------------------Speech by Thomas Friedman of The New York Times....

"When we were young kids growing up in America, we were told to eat our
vegetables at dinner and not leave them. Mothers said, 'think of the
starving children in India and finish the dinner.' And now I tell my
children: 'Finish your maths homework. Think of the children in India
who would make you starve, if you don't.'"

The concept of Bindi is to earn respect for the woman folks from India so that they do not get lewd glances from the society around.

I wish youngsters in current generation in India follow this and give married women the respect they deserve. The western people seem to be more descent in the way they treat women in public places than the Indian men.